Kentucky's rolling hills and tree-covered mountains provide the perfect setting for a movie about the early pioneers of the Ohio valley. Firearms carry in those days was essential for survival. And Kentucky still maintains a healthy respect for this heritage in its firearm laws.

Recognized permittees: Kentucky requires a license to carry a firearm, or any other deadly weapon, concealed on or about one's person. The State Police issue permits through the sheriff of the applicant’s home county for five-year terms. Kentucky does not grant permits to nonresidents but will recognize any permit issued by another state as long as the permittee is not a resident of Kentucky. A recognized permittee may carry concealed in most public areas. Prohibited places include childcare centers, schools, bars, legislative meetings, law enforcement offices, courthouses and most universally restricted areas (p.7). Colleges, hospitals, local governments, and private businesses may also ban carry in their buildings by posting signs. But prohibitions in these areas are not criminal offenses.

Persons without recognized permits: Loaded firearms may be carried in a vehicle if the weapons are in plain view. A loaded handgun can be in a visible belt holster or on the dashboard or passenger seat of one's car. Loaded long guns may be secured in gun racks or commercial gun cases anywhere in the vehicle except concealed about the person.

Kentucky also allows weapons to be hidden from view in any factory-installed vehicle compartment, whether locked or unlocked. Console boxes, seat pockets, glove compartments or trunks are among the acceptable areas for unlicensed concealment.

Any landowner, sole proprietor or lessee may carry concealed without a permit on property they own or rent. Also, anyone with the permission of the property owner may carry.

A traveler may openly carry a loaded handgun while on foot in most public areas. Such carry is best limited to visible belt holsters secured on one's hip. Kentucky's strong preemption law now provides stiff penalties for any locality that attempts to regulate this activity.

All Persons: A property owner may not prohibit employees and customers from carrying firearms in their vehicles while the vehicles are parked on that owner’s property. Civil penalties exist for property owners that act contrary to this mandate. Also, game wardens may not harass any sportsmen who carry firearms for self-defense while hunting or fishing.

The wide variety of firearm laws facing the gun owner of the early twenty-first century can be very intimidating when traveling outside one's own state. Many horror stories exist in which the nonresident traveler is arrested on a firearm felony charge for a violation that wouldn't qualify as a misdemeanor in the traveler's home state. A routine traffic stop suddenly degenerates into a nightmare journey through the criminal justice system. The unsuspecting traveler is hauled off to jail and forced to await the intervention of an attorney while his vehicle is searched and later impounded.

One story typifying this situation occurred several years ago on the New Jersey turnpike. A businessman from North Carolina was traveling to Maine via New Jersey when he was stopped by a New Jersey State trooper for a speeding violation. During the routine questioning, the trooper asked the North Carolina man if he had any firearms in the vehicle. Having a concealed carry permit from North Carolina, the traveler assumed he was operating well within the law. He told the trooper that he had a Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol in his briefcase that he was licensed to carry and would be more than happy to allow the trooper to inspect it. Before the traveler could utter another word, the trooper had drawn his sidearm, pointed it at the traveler and began shouting at the man to exit the vehicle at once with his hands in the air. The stunned businessman, who had never had so much as a parking ticket, did as the officer demanded. He soon found himself spread eagle on the ground while the agitated trooper called for assistance. In the days after his arrest, the traveler was charged with a felony and spent three days in a Newark jail. He was eventually placed in a diversion program while the felony charge was pled down to a misdemeanor. But if the traveler had not possessed such an exemplary prior record, he may have faced the original felony and prison time. In traveling through New Jersey, the traveler failed to take into account the radical difference in legal firearms carry from his native state of North Carolina. Such a lapse could have cost him much more than it did.

This guide will prevent the occurrence of such an incident by providing an outline of the legal pitfalls a traveler may encounter while carrying his firearms from state to state. Beginning with Alabama and continuing in alphabetical order through Wyoming, each state is afforded one page of explanation pertaining to the firearm laws most relevant to the traveler. The District of Columbia, Canada and Mexico are also covered. A bar graph showing how each state is rated for its treatment of firearms is displayed in the top margin of each page. Any change in firearms freedom from the previous year is noted by a (+) or (-) as well as the reason behind the change. When no change has occurred, the author provides the reader with a short phrase summarizing why the state has its current rating. This provides a quick reference when time is of the essence. Vehicle carry of firearms, concealed carry and reciprocity for non-resident licensees, and laws governing possession of all firearm types are covered in a user-friendly format for each state…